Vehicle body window installation



Aug. 1, 1967 P. GARVEY VEHICLE BODY WINDOW INSTALLATION Filed Oct. 7, 1965 AT TORNE Y United States Patent Ofilice 3,333,363 Patented Aug. 1, 1967 3,333,363 VEHICLE BODY WINDOW INSTALLATION Louis P. Garvey, Birmingham, Mich, assiguor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 493,861 4 Claims. (Cl. 49-425) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A window limit stop and cushion for vehicle body window installations includes a limit stop block of semirigid material received within the window guide channel on the body at a location defining the fully lowered position of the window, the block including a body portion suitable for attachment to the guide channel by fastener means and an integral cushioning portion engageable by the window and configured for resilientdefiection by the window to smoothly bring the window to rest in lowered position.

One feature of this invention is that it provides improved limit stop means for movable vehicle body windows. Another feature of this invention is that it provides improved vehicle body window limit stop means in the form of a single member or stop block mountable directly within a window guide channel and securable therein at a selected location for engagement by the guide roller or similar guided means on the window to define one limit position thereof. A further feature of this invention is that the stop block is fabricated of some substantially rigid material suitable for the use therewith of a self-tapping screw or similar fastener for securing the block to the guide channel means, yet the block has the desired resilient qualities in being provided with an integral roller web portion engageable by the guide roller and yieldable thereunder to cushion and reduce shock and noise of roller engagement.

These and other features of the invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and from the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partially broken away fragmentary view of a vehicle body window installation including window limit stop means according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 22 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partially broken away view taken generally in the direction indicated by lines 3-3 of FIG- URE 2 with certain parts shown in phantom; and

FIGURE 4 is an exploded view.

Referring now particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, there is shown a rear quarter portion of a vehicle body designated generally as and including inner and outer quarter panels 12 and 14 providing therebetween a window receiving well. A rear quarter window 16 including a surrounding frame 18 is mountable within the window receiving Well for movement between a lowered position, as shown, and a raised position, not shown, by a window regulator mechanism designated generally as 20. Mechanism 20 includes a regulator lift arm 22 pivoted at 24 on a back plate 26 secured to inner panel 12, and a toggle linkage 28 having one of the pivotally interconnected links thereof pivotally mounted to lift arm 22 at 30 and the other thereof pivotally mounted to the back plate 26 at 32. A screw and nut or similar actuator 34 is operatively connected to the back plate mounted link of toggle linkage 28 and driven by a reduction gear unit 36 which may have suitably connected thereto a window regulator handle or similar operating means mounted to the inside of the vehicle body on inner panel 12. Selected drive of actuator 34 in one direction is operable to fold the toggle linkage 28 and move it upwardly to rotate the lift arm 22 clockwise and upwardly, while opposite drive of actuator 34 accomplishes the reverse. Mounted to the lower edge of the window frame 18 is a guide track 38 receiving a guide roller 40 rotatably mounted on the end of lift arm 22 such that rotation of the lift arm is operable to bodily raise or lower window 16 in conventional manner.

A bracket 42 on frame 18 adjacent one end of the window rotatably mounts a guide roller 44- slidably received in an arcuate guide channel 46 mounted to inner panel 12. A further guide channel 48 is mounted at its lower end to inner panel 12 by a suitable bracket 50 and at its upper end to back'plate 26, and a further bracket 52 on frame 18 adjacent the other end of the window rotatably mounts a roller 54 received within channel 48. Rollers 44 and 54 coact with the channels 46 and 48 to guide window 16 in conventional manner between its raised and lowered positions as it is moved by the lift arm 22.

As seen best in FIGURES 2 through 4 of the drawings, a window limit stop means according to this invention is provided to locate and define the lowered position of window 16. Channel 48 adjacent its lower end is provided with a slot 56 generally defining a desired adjustment or range of limit lowered positions: of guide roller 54 and window 16, A stop member or block 58 fabricated of nylon or similar substantially rigid or semirigid material is slidably received directly within channel 48 and, as seen best in FIGURE 4, is of a thickness some what less than the cavity 'of the channel so as to be readily slidable therein. A self-tapping screw or similar fastener or securing means 60 is receivable through slot 56 to be threadable into a smooth bore 62 of the stop block. A convex spring washer 64 is interposed between the head of screw 60 and channel 48 to frictionally engage the stop block against a wall of the channel as the screw is threaded down and securely locate the stop block at a selected or adjusted location within the channel.

As seen best in FIGURE 3, stop block 58 is suitably apertured at 66 to form an integral upper web 63 having a somewhat concave shape conforming generally to roller 54. Web 68 is yieldable as it is engaged by the downwardly moving roller 54 thereby to cushion or more smoothly decelerate the downward movement of the window 16 and reduce noise and shock. I

It is thus apparent that this invention provides a new and improved window stop means including but a single stop member directly receivable within the guide channel of a vehicle body window installation. Economies are thus effected over prior plural part stop means such as those that include stamped metal stop members provided with separate rubber cushioning sleeves. Moreover, it is seen that even further economies are effected by using a single stop block of semirigid material suitable for the use of a single self-threading fastener member rather than the plurality of bolts and nuts, etc., heretofore used with the bulkier stamped metal stop member and rubber sleeve, yet the semirigid stop block retains the desired noise, shock and rebound cushioning qualities.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a vehicle body including a window movable between open and closed positions, the combination comprising, guide channel means on said body of generally U-shaped cross section, guide roller means mounted on said window and received within said channel means for guiding said window between said positions thereof, a stop member received within said guide channel means and including a body portion seating against the base wall of said guide channel means and between the legs thereof,

means adjustably securing said body portion to the base wall of said guide channel means, and an integral defiectable web extending from said body portion and being engageable by said guide roller means upon movement of said window to one of the positions thereof to cushion movement of said window.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said guide channel includes a slot in the base wall thereof and wherein said securing :means includes threaded fastener means extending through said slot and into said body portion.

3. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein said web is generally U-shaped and said body portion includes an abutment engageable by said web after limited deflection thereof.

4. In a vehicle body window installation including a window movable between open and closed positions, guide channel means on the vehicle body of generally Ushape, and guide roller means on said window and received within said channel means, window limit stop means comprising, a limit stop block 'of semi-rigid material received within said channel means at a location defining one of said positions of said window, said stop block including a body portion seated against the base wall of said channel means and having side edges disposed in 4 close proximity to the legs thereof, said body portion being apertured for reception of fastener means therethrough, said stop block further including a cushion portion of inverted generally U-shape extending integrally 5 from said body portion for engagement by the guide roller 15 limit stop block to said channel means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1933 Levan 49375 9/1949 Roethel 49-375 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Examiner.

25 J. K. BELL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A VEHICLE BODY INCLUDING A WINDOW MOVABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, GUIDE CHANNEL MEANS ON SAID BODY OF GENERALLY U-SHAPED CROSS SECTION, GUIDE ROLLER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID WINDOW AND RECEIVED WITHIN SAID CHANNEL MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID WINDOW BETWEEN SAID POSITIONS THEREOF, A STOP MEMBER RECEIVED WITHIN SAID GUIDE CHANNEL MEANS AND INCLUDING A BODY PORTION SEATING AGAINST THE BASE WALL OF SAID GUIDE CHANNEL MEANS ABD BETWEEN THE LEGS THEREOF, MEANS ADJUSTABLY SECURING SAID BODY PORTION TO THE BASE WALL OF SAID GUIDE CHANNEL MEANS, AND AN INTEGRAL DEFLECTABLE WEB EXTENDING FROM SAID BODY PORTION AND BEING ENGAGEABLE BY SAID GUIDE ROLLER MEANS UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID WINDOW TO ONE OF THE POSITIONS THEREOF TO CUSHION MOVEMENT OF SAID WINDOW. 